Drag-line bucket.



DRAG LINE BUCKET.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 28. 1913.

1,174,834. I Patented Mar. 7,1916.

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H.T.DUNBAR.I

DRAG LINE BUCKET.

APPLICATION FILED MAYZB, 1913.

1,174,834. Patented Mar. 7, 1916.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

MHTNEEEEE -ATTURNEY&

fi z am H.- T. DUNBAR.

DRAG LINE BUCKET.

APPLICATION FILED MAY28,1913.

Patented Mar. 7, 1916.

4 SHEETSSHEET 3.

WITNEEIEIEEI ATTEIRNEYE VENTEIR I HARRIS '1. DUNIBAR, OF BUFFALO, NEW YORK.

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Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 7, 1916.

Application filed May 28, 1913. Serial No. 770,878.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, HARRIS T. DUNBAR, a citizen of the United States, residing at .llutfalo, in the county of Erie and State of New York, have invented new and useful Improvements in Drag-Line Buckets, of

which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to hoisting bucketsof that class which are loaded with the ma terial to be transported by dragging the bucket into the material by means of a drag line derrick, the same being generally known as drag line buckets.

It is the object of this invention to provide a bucket of thischaracter of improved construction which will permit of handling a greater load than has been possible by the use of drag line buckets as heretofore constructed, and which can be more easily operated both when loadingand unloading the same and also operated without taking any slack out of the line after each dumping operation, thereby expediting the transportation of the material and reducing the cost of this work.

In the accompanying drawings: Figure 1 is a side elevation of one form of my improved drag line bucket showing the parts of the same in the position which they occupy while the bucket is dragged into the material to be loaded into the bucket and transported. Fig. 2 is atop plan view of the same. Fig. 3 is a vertical longitudinal section of the same with the parts in the position which they occupy when the bucket is loaded and being hoistedor lowered in the closed position either with or without a load. Fig. 4 is a similar view of the same showing the position of the parts while dumping the load or raising or lowering the bucket while open. Fig. 5 is a side elevation of a drag line bucket embpdymg a slightly different form of my invention from that disclosed in Figs. 1& and showin the same in the position which it assu i hes while being dragged into the material which is to be loaded into the bucket and.

transported. Fig. 6 is a perspective view of the same showing the bucket closed and in position to be raised or lowered with or without the load. Fig. 7 is a side elevation of another form of drag line bucket embodyopen and in position for being loaded. 8 is a top plan view of the same. Fig. 9 1S invention and showing the same a vertical longitudinal section of the same showing the bucket closed and in position for being either raised or lowered with or without the load. Fig. 10 is a side elevation, partly in section, of still another form of drag line bucket embodying my invention and showing the osition of the parts while the bucket is being loaded. Fig. 11 is a top plan view of the same. Fig. 12 is a vertical longitudinal section of the same showingthe position of the parts while the same is closed. Fig. 13 is a similar View showing the position of the parts when the bucket is open in midair.

Similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts throughout the several views.

The body of the bucket shown in Figs. 1-4 has the form of a scoop and comprises a bottom 1, a. rear wall 2 extending upwardly from the rear end of the bottom and two longitudinal side walls 3, 3 arranged at opposite longitudinal edges of the bottom and connected at their rear ends with op osite edges of the rear wall. The top 0 this scoop is open and the space between the front edges of the bottom and the sidewalls thereof 1s also open forming a mouth or passageway at the last mentioned place through which the material to be transported is admitted to the scoop-and discharged therefrom. This mouth of the scoop is opened and closed ,by means of a lid or shutter which preferably comprises a front wall. 4: adapted to be arranged transversely across the mouth of the scoop and'a pair of lid or shutter levers 5, 5 pivoted to turn vertically on the inner sides of the longitudinal walls of the scoop and having their front arms connected with opposite upright edges of the front wall while their rear arms project toward the rear end of the scoop. 6 represents the pulling or drag line which is operatively connected at one end with the bucket for dragging the same into the loose material which is to be transported while 7 the material to be loaded but will also hold the bucket in its open position in which the shutter is moved away from the mouth of the scoop. In the preferred manner. of accomplishing this purpose the rear ends of the rear arms are connected by means of the transverse coupling bar or rod 7 and eachbranch of the drag line is secured at its rear end to one end of this coupling rod so as to be practically connected with the respective rear arm of the shutter and then passes downwardly and forwardly around a rear guide ulley or roller 8 on the outer rear part of the adjacent side wall, thence upwardly and forwardly over an intermediate line derrick. Upon pulling forwardly on the drag line the straightening of that portion of the branches of this line between the front guide pulleys and the rear ends of the shutter levers causes the rear arms of these levers to be drawn downwardly until the intermediate guide pulleys 9 or other parts of the shutter engage with the scoop, whereby the front wall of the shutter is raised so. as to uncover themouth of the scoop and open the bucket. Upon continuing the forward pull on the'drag line while the parts are in this position a portion of the loose material against which the bucket is hauled will be received by the scoop, this material entering through the mouth of the scoop and piling upon the bottom thereof until the weight of the material in this scoop offers sufficient resistance to the further entrance of material. Upon now slackening the drag or pulling line and drawing upwardly on a hoisting or lifting line 12 which is connected with-the rear arm of the shutter levers through the medium of the coupling bar or rod 7 the rear arms of the shutter-levers will be raised and the front wall will beswung downwardly,until its lower edge engages with the front edge of the bottom of the scoop. as shown in Fig. 3, whereby the mouth of the scoop will be closed and a portion of the loose material immediately in front of this scoop will be trapped and confined between the shutter and scoop. By

this means a considerable quantity of material is loaded into the bucket and confined between the scoop and the shutter in addition to the quantity of material which would be normally retained in the bucket if the same were of ordinary construction and simply hauled over the material in the usual manner, thereby increasing the capacity 'of the bucket accordingly and expediting the Work of transportation and reducing the cost in the same measure. While the bucket is thus loaded with material the same is lifted by the lifting line 12 and moved laterally by the derrick with. which the lifting line is connected to the place intended to receive the material. Upon'reaching this place the lifting or hoisting line is held at rest and the drag or pulling line is drawn tight so as to lift the rear end of the bucket.

and cause the front end thereof to move away. from the shutter, thereby opening the mouth or passageway of the scoop, as shown in Fig. 4, and causing the material in the bucket to be dumped therefrom. The bucket may now be again lowered by means of the hoisting line and then drawn over the pile of material to be transported for taking up another load. When, however, the depth to which the bucket is to be dropped must be regulated as is the case where excavation or removal of material is to be effected .at-a certain grade a regulating cable or line 13 is provided which may be connected at its lower end with the upper edge of the shutter wall while its other end runs to the derrick and is under the control of the operator in the usual and well known manner of regulating the extent to which the bucket may be dropped.

In the absence of any provision for holding the shutter and scoop in an open position after the same have been moved into the dumping position, these parts would again assume their closed position while being lowered upon the material to be transported and this would necessitate drawing a considerable length of slack out of the drag line for again opening the shutter and before the actual forward filling movement of the bucket could proceed. In order to save the loss of time incident to this unnecessary closure of the bucket, means are provided which preferably operate automatically to lock the shutter and scoop of the bucket in their open position when these parts assume a dumping position and which automatically unlockthese parts when the scoop is arranged in a position for being loaded and the drag line effects the initial. portion of its forward pullon the bucket. In its preferred construction this automatic locking device comprises a vertically swingingi lever l4 which is pivoted on the rear wa l of the scoop and provided on its upper arm with a hook 15 adapted to engage with the coupling bar 7 of the shutter levers while its lower arm is provided with a weight 16. As the rear end of the scoop is moved upwardly and forwardly toward the rear arms of the shutter levers the weight on the lower arm of the locking lever causes the latter to be so turned that the nose or bill of the hook will engage its upper inclined side with the coupling rod of the shutter levers and be deflected thereby so that this bill trips past this coupling rod and engages its underside with the coupling red, as shown in Fig. 4, whereby the scoop and shutter are locked together in an open position of these parts. .Upon now lowering the bucket by means of the lifting or hoisting line the scoop and shutter will remain in this open position by reason of the weight of the scoop overcoming the weight on the locking lever and retaining the hook of the same in frictional engagement with the couplingrod. The instant, however, the drag or pulling line is drawn forwardly for again moving the bucket into the loose material to be transported the initial part of this pull causes the rear arms of the shutter levers to be depressed slightly whereby the cou pling rod is moved slightly downwardly out of frictionalengagement from the hook of the locking lever, thereby permitting the weight of the locking lever toturn the same in a direction which will move its hook from above the coupling rod and release the shutter. It will be noted that by this means the hauling of the bucket into the material to be loaded and transported can proceed immediately without the necessity of first opening the shutter and drawing the slack out of the drag line for this purpose, inasmuch as the shutter after being once opened while dumping the bucket in the air is not permitted to again pay out and assume a slack position while again lowering the bucket upon the ground.

In the construction of my improved bucket shown in Figs. 5 and 6 each of the shutter levers is composed of two sections 17, 17 which are arranged on opposite sides of one of the longitudinal walls 18 of the scoop. The lifting line or cable in this construction consists of but a single member 19 which is attached to a cross bar 20 connecting the 1 rear ends of the shutter levers and each of the two branches 21 of the drag or pulling line is connected at its rear end with the rear arm of one of the shutter levers and passes thence around a rear pulley 22 mounted on the adjacent side wall of the scoop, thence forwardly over two guide pulleys 23, 24 arranged on the rear arm of the respective shutter lever, and thence underneath a guide pulley 25 on the front arm of the respective shutter lever. No automatic lock is provided in the construction'shown in Figs. 5 and 6 for connecting and disconnecting the rear parts of the scoop and the shutter levers and the operation of this bucket is therefore substantially like that shown in Figs. 1-4 with the exception that after the bucket is lowered upon the ground the slack has to be pulled out. of the drag line which passes around the guide pulleys in Figs. 1-8, the opening of the same for dumping the load is effected by drawing forwardly on the drag or pull line. Instead of utilizing the drag or pulling line for ef- 'fecting the opening of the bucket for dumping the load this line may be utilized solely for the purpose of opening the bucketwhile the same is resting on the ground and pulling the bucket forwardly for loading the same this being accomplished as shown in Figs. 7,8 and 9 by attaching a drag or pulling line 26 to the lower edge of'the front wall 27 of the shutter. In this construction the shutter is closed by an upward movement of the lifting or hoisting line 34.- connected with the rear arms of the shutter levers 28 which are pivoted to the front ends of the bucket side walls 29 so that the lower edge of the shutter wall engages with the front edge of the scoop bottom 30, as shown in Fig. 9. For the purpose of dumping the bucket a separate dumping line 31 is provided which is connected at one end with the rear wall 32 of the scoop and is attached at its other end to a drum of the derrick. Upon drawing up on the dumping line the front end of the scoop is moved away from the shutter'thereby opening the bucket and discharging its contents. The extent to which the bucket is lowered may be regulated in the construction shown in Figs. 7 8 and 9 by means of a regulating line or cable 33 connected with the upper edge of the front wall of the shutter in a manner similar to that shown in Figs. 1-4. By holding lines 31, 31 and slackening up line 34 the bucket may be dumped or tilted in any manner desired.

In all of the various constructions it is possible to pick up a much larger load of the material to be transported than is possible with drag line buckets as heretofore constructed and without any increased consumption of power or any increase in cost of equipment, thereby expediting the transportation of material and reducingthe cost of such work.

In the construction of the bucket shown in Figs. 10-13 the lid or shutter 35 is pivotally connected with the scoop 36 by means which comprise a transverse pivot 0r axle 37 mounted on horns 38 projecting upwardly from the front parts of the side walls of the scoop, and two lid or shutter levers mounted on opposite ends of the axle and having parallel widely separated front arms 39 secured to the lid and rearwardly converging rear arms 40 which are connect ed at their rear ends. At their rear ends the lid or shutter levers are connected with the central part of a transverse yoke or bar 41 the opposite ends of which project lat- .the dragline which are arranged lengthwise on opposite outer sides'of the scoop and each of which passes with its front part through a guide eye 43 formedon the frontend of the respective horn while its rear end is connected with the corresponding end of the yoke and its intermediate part passes around the rear and undersides of a guide roller or wheel 44 pivoted on the outer rear part of the adjacent side wall of the scoop. 45 represents a lifting line connected with the rear ends of the lid levers. 46 represents a latch or locking lever of elbow form pivoted to turn vertically on the central part of the outer side of the rear wall of the scoop and provided on its upper arm with a forwardly and downwardly-projecting hook 47 and on its lower arm With a weight. While the bucket is being drawn forwardly into the loose material to be picked up the lid is held open by the down- ;ward pull of the drag line on the rear arms of the lid levers and the locking latch is disengaged from the lid levers, as shown in Fig. 10. After the forward pull on the bucket has been completed the lifting line is raised, thereby causing the rear arms of the lid levers to swing up and the front arms to swing down, thereby closing the lid and holding the load in the scoop, as shown in Fig. 12. While thus closing the bucket and raising the same the rear ends of the drag line branches are drawn upwardly around the guide rollers. Upon drawing on the drag line while the bucket is in midair the rear end of the scoop is raised so that its front end is swung away from the lid, as shown in Fig. 13, thereby dumping the load from the bucket. While thus emptying the bucket the locking latch engages the hook on its upper arm automatically with a shoulder or pin 48 on the rear arms of the lid levers and holds the lid open as the same is lowered upon the ground. During the first part of the forward pull of the drag line on the bucket for moving the same over the ground the rear arms of the lidlevers 'are drawn tightly against the rear part of the scoop thereby disengaging the shoulder 48 from the latch and permitting the latter to swing rearwardly out of the path of said shoulder so as to permit the lid to be subsequently closed by the upward pull thereon of the lifting line. This automatic disengagement of the latch from the lid levers is effected by gravity inasmuch as the preponderating weight of the latch at this time is in rear of its pivot. This action may, however, be made more certain by the addition of the weight 49,0n the lower arm of the locking lever.

It will be noted that the operation of the bucket shown in Figs. 10-13 is substantially the same as that shown in Figs. 1-4, the

difference between the same being wholly a matter of detail.

I claimas my invention:

1. A drag line bucket comprising a scoop having a bottom, a'rear wall at the rear end of the bottom, two longitudinal side walls and a mouth at the front ends of the bottom and side walls, a shutter for covering and uncovering said mouth having a transverse front wall movable toward and from said bottom, and a lever pivoted to swing vertically on said scoop and having its front arm connected with said. front wall and a hoisting line connected with the rear arm of said lever. g

2. A drag line bucket comprising a scoop having a bottom, a rear wall at the rear end of the bottom, two longitudinal side walls and a mouth at the front ends of the bottom and side walls, a shutter for covering and uncovering said mouth having a transverse front Wall movable toward and from said bottom, and a lever pivoted to swing vertically on said scoop and having its front arm connected with said front wall, a hoisting line connected with the rear arm of said lever and a drag line operatively connected with said bucket.

3. A drag line bucket comprising a scoop having a bottom, a rear wall at the rear end of the bottom, two longitudinal side walls and a mouth at the front ends of the bottom and side walls, a shutter for covering and uncovering said mouth having a transverse front wall movable toward and from said bottom and a lever pivoted to swing vertically on said scoop and having its front arm connected with said front wall, a hoisting line connected with the rear arm of said lever, a drag line operatively connected with said bucket and a regulating line connected with said-front Wall.

front wall movable toward and from said bottom anda lever pivoted to swing vertically on said scoop and having its front arm connected with said front wall, a hoist ing line connected with the rear arm of said lever, and a drag line also connected with said rear arm and guided on the scoop.

5. A drag line bucket comprising a scoop having a bottom, a rear wall at the rear end of the bottom, two longitudinal side walls and a mouth at the front ends of the bottom and side walls, a shutter for covering and bottom and a lever pivoted to swing vertically on said scoop and having its front arm connected with said front wall, a hoisting line connected with the rear arm of said lever, a drag line also connected with said rear arm and guide rollers which are arranged on the front and rear parts of the scoop and the-rear arm of said lever and around which said drag line passes.

6. A drag line bucket comprising a scoop having a bottom, a rear wall at the rear end of the bottom, two longitudinal side walls and a mouth at the front ends of the bottom and side walls, a shutter for covering and uncovering said mouth having a transverse front wall movable toward and from said bottom, two levers pivoted to swing vertically on said side walls,respectively, and

having their front arms connected with opposite ends of the front wall, two horns projecting forwardly from the front ends of said side walls and in front of the axes of said levers, a hoisting line connected with the rear arms of said levers, a drag line having branches also connected with the rear arms of said levers, guide pulleys which are arranged on the rear parts of the side walls on the rear arms of said levers and on said horns and around which the branches of the drag line pass.

7 A drag line bucket comprising a scoop having a bottom, a rear wall at the rear end of the bottom, two longitudinal side walls and a mouth atthe front ends of the bottom and side walls, a shutter for covering and uncovering said mouth having a transverse front wall movable toward and from said bottom, and a lever pivoted to swing vertically on said scoop and having.

T. DUNBAR.

- Witnesses:

THEO. L. Porn, ANNA HEI'GIs. 

